Bar Kamata is a bar in Susukino, Sapporo.
A Susukino sake bar stocking nearly 300 Hokkaido-produced sake bottles. Otokoyama, Kunimare and Chitosetsuru pour by the glass alongside cellar-only labels.
Food program: Hokkaido seafood small plates
Tip: Flight of three Hokkaido junmais is the easy intro; closed Sundays.
Address: Chuo-ku, Sapporo 064-0805, Japan
Directly run by the North Island brewery on the outskirts of Sapporo, pouring six original house craft beers. The brewer joins bar staff on Fridays.
Signature drink: North Island brewery six-tap rotation
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: Friday evening is the brewery's own staff night; expect a Q-and-A welcome.
A small Susukino sake counter pouring exclusively Hokkaido sake. Twenty-plus producers by the glass; sashimi and grilled fish from the open kitchen.
Signature drink: Kunimare junmai daiginjo by the glass
Food: Sashimi platters
Tip: Counter only; staff speak basic English and will tailor a flight.
Nikka Whisky's Hokkaido flagship in Susukino, pouring rare expressions of Taketsuru, Yoichi and Miyagikyo from the company's own cellar warehouse.
Signature drink: Taketsuru Pure Malt flight
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: Reservations via Nikka site; the Yoichi single-cask flights need a week's notice.
Founded late 1950s by mixologist Tatsuro Yamazaki, Bar Yamazaki is one of Japan's classic Susukino cocktail bars; the Emperor's Imperial Prize landed in 1993.
Signature drink: Sapporo (signature vodka-based cocktail)
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: Counter only; order the signature Sapporo cocktail to start.
Directly run by the North Island brewery on the outskirts of Sapporo, pouring six original house craft beers. The brewer joins bar staff on Fridays.
Signature drink: North Island brewery six-tap rotation
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: Friday evening is the brewery's own staff night; expect a Q-and-A welcome.
Moon and Sun Brewing opened 2014 as Sapporo's downtown brewpub with in-store brewing kit. Beers using 100-percent Hokkaido hops and seasonal-fruit one-offs.
Signature drink: 100-percent Hokkaido hop pale ale
Food: Hokkaido pizza and snacks
Tip: Order a tasting flight to test the rotating lineup; pizza pairs well.
A small Susukino sake counter pouring exclusively Hokkaido sake. Twenty-plus producers by the glass; sashimi and grilled fish from the open kitchen.
Signature drink: Kunimare junmai daiginjo by the glass
Food: Sashimi platters
Tip: Counter only; staff speak basic English and will tailor a flight.
Nikka Whisky's Hokkaido flagship in Susukino, pouring rare expressions of Taketsuru, Yoichi and Miyagikyo from the company's own cellar warehouse.
Signature drink: Taketsuru Pure Malt flight
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: Reservations via Nikka site; the Yoichi single-cask flights need a week's notice.
Founded late 1950s by mixologist Tatsuro Yamazaki, Bar Yamazaki is one of Japan's classic Susukino cocktail bars; the Emperor's Imperial Prize landed in 1993.
Signature drink: Sapporo (signature vodka-based cocktail)
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: Counter only; order the signature Sapporo cocktail to start.
A Tanukikoji cocktail bar with the concept cocktails as liquid cuisine. Hokkaido-foraged ingredients across a rotating menu; quiet 14-seat counter.
Signature drink: Hokkaido-foraged ingredient cocktails
Food: Small bites
Tip: Counter only; phone reservations strongly recommended for Friday and Saturday.
